Sutōrīterā
by Amaryllis Namikaze
Summary: The Invasion during the Chūnin Exams was already bad enough, but sitting in a place in the middle of nowhere with an unknown time-traveler woman to read? Kami-sama, what a weird day. - Fem!Naruto
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

_The funny thing about weird days is that you don't expect them to be weird. _It starts as any normal morning. Merchants open their stores, ninjas walk to training grounds or their own missions, children hastily ran to school. Then in the middle of the day or in the evening, when you less expect, _it _happens.

The real problem is that you never know what _it _is. It could be a simple storm that would make you trip in your way home, as well as it could be a thief stealing your handbag. It could be more tragic, like a relative's death. But, in the end, weird days always summarize to the same damn thing: unexpected.

You can't ever be sure if it's a _good _or bad unexpected, anyway. Sometimes, the result comes soon; sometimes, years go by before the result came back. Either way, don't try to equip, or to be psychologically prepared, or even wait.

Weird days always catch you by surprise – that must be why they're like this. However, _surprise _was such a small word to describe what they all felt.

Trip in your way home, be mugged, even losing a dear relative – everything can be exceed. Now, when you're in a room, in the middle of _nowhere_, with a super powerful woman that you didn't hear about even once in your life… Well, weird day was gave a new meaning this moment. Chiefly when _she _announced that they would be reading a story.


	2. Minato Arc: A Legend's Beginning

**In case you're wondering_,_**the _story title_ **(Sutōrīterā - sst'oriter'a)** means_ "Storytellers"_ in Japanese. I won't be using it in the chapter's beginnings, but I'll leave it as the official title. I hope everybody understood.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"bla bla" - normal talking

_'bla bla' - _thoughts

**bla bla - **book reading

**'bla bla' - **book talking

* * *

**Storytellers - Minato Arc: **

**A Legend's Beginning**

* * *

_Unknown place, indefinite time_

* * *

A person fell down on the ground without preambles. Looking around, confused, the girl analyzed the room she was situated, while angrily twitching her hand, trying to make her hair become tamed. Widening her eyes in surprise, three more people popped out of thin air and fell down.

The small blonde was about to ask something when, suddenly, a _bunch _of people popped out, again, of thin air. _'… the hell?'_, the girl questioned herself. Complains and questions soon began to be made, so, the blond-haired girl decided to wait… before she herself became impatient.

"SILENCE, PEOPLE!"

Said and done.

"Does someone for God's sake know why we are here?" A blond-haired woman with a _huge_ bosom asked with a brunette holding a piglet waiting by her side.

"Tsunade-hime!" A tall man with spiky white hair cheerfully greeted.

"Jiraya?"

"Ero-sennin!" The previous small blonde girl shouted, running to the man who had been her mentor in the last month. While it, the rest of people was confused by the events.

"Ero-sennin?" Tsunade laughed. "Did you lost your fame or was finally recognized by what you really are, Jiraya?"

Jiraya snorted, "You'd know, Tsunade-hime. This gaki here is my apprentice, who, for some strange reason," he glared at the blonde, who smiled sheepishly, "think that she can calls me that instead of Jiraya-sensei."

Kurenai – who, as everybody, was patiently watching – hawked and said, "Would someone know why we are here and _where _is here, exactly?"

"I would," a voice said.

Everybody looked around. Staying still in a corner was the most beautiful woman they ever saw. Her facial traits were soft, light structures full of delicacy; a face framed with two big, innocent ocean-blue eyes. A long hair fell down her back with smoothness and graciousness, shining in an incredible tint of sunny-gold. She, the woman, wasn't tall, but her mere presence made her impotent. Her clothes consisted of a long-sleeved blue shirt, gray ANBU-styled pants, and equally blue ninja shoes; there was a short-sleeved long white coat over her attire, decorated by flames-like motifs on the edges and closed on the front by a thin orange rope.

Kakashi, Jiraya, Asuma, Tsunade, Kurenai, Shizune, Gai and Iruka widened their eyes at the white coat, since it was the same as the Yondaime, but the teens just stared at woman with incredulity. Not because of her beauty, but because of the familiarity with a certain short-haired blonde right here.

"Katha?" Yamanaka Ino asked without believing in her eyes. "_Uzumaki Katha?"_

The woman – young one, actually – kindly smiled, "In the future this isn't my name anymore… I suppose that it's strange to be called Katha again. Even more without the sama at the end…"

The last part was said to herself, but Sasuke heard (and since he knew that the young woman was the dobe) and couldn't help but say, "Why would someone add 'sama' at the end of your name, dobe?"

Ino and Sakura giggled as good fangirls as they were, in which Kathari just smiled a bit sadly, before calmly saying to the last Uchiha.

"Let me introduce myself correctly. I'm Namikaze Kathari, Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha."

Dead silence.

"Riiight!" Kiba exclaimed. "As if a loser like you would ever be the _Hokage! _Please, I even doubt that you're who say to be, i.e., Katha-midget here."

"Hey!" Said person complained, while Kathari laughed a little.

"Kiba, there's only one thing that I need to say. Don't do this face, the only thing that I need to say is the fact that I'm happy that you didn't change _nothing _in the last years. Believe me; we already had this discussion in the same day I was nominated by the Godaime."

Jiraya made himself known, "If you're really from the future, then you can answer me that: who did I suggest to the Council, not even an hour ago, as the new Hokage?"

Katha sniffed at the mention of Jiji's murder and at the necessity of a new nomination.

"Senju Tsunade, the only survivor of the Senju clan and the most famous medic-nin in the shinobi world. You planned to start searching her tomorrow, with me since I'm your apprentice… And you'd probably find her gambling or drinking."

Tsunade snorted, but didn't say anything, recognizing the truth in her statement.

Kankurou, who observed not just the woman, but all Konoha ninja with speculator eyes, spoke for the first time, "Where are we? My siblings and I were in the forest not long ago battling for our lives!"

Kathari gave him a little smirk.

"Battling for your lives, eh? I suppose it was that. And about your question, why don't you all sit down?"

Everybody looked around with incredulous expressions, but still expressed at their own manner. Itachi was the most distant from the group, and was sincerely surprised by Sasuke, who still didn't jump at the opportunity of attacking him – which made him stay still and attract attention to himself.

"Ah, Itachi," Kathari smiled so kindly, so _happy_ to see him, the murderer of the Uchiha clan, that the nuke-nin almost thought of smiling back.

"I'd like an explanation about my sudden change of place, Namikaze-san."

Kathari continued smiling, "I'm sure you do, Itachi. Sit down, sit down and I'll explain everything."

Said and done, everyone sat on the sofas and carpets spread around the huge room. Unconsciously, they sat closer to their own friends and fellows, dreadful of the weird woman who proclaimed herself as Kathari.

"I brought you here with only one objective."

Neji was impatient, "That is?"

"Read stories."

If it was possible to be more skeptic, everybody was.

"Eh?" Surprisingly, it was Shino who exclaimed.

"You see: I'm the future Rokudaime and, as such, I know exactly the interns events of the village. And I've been working for a year and seven months in a project that I call 'Time Vortex', which involves a extremely complex fuuinjutsu that allows me to travel back in time…"

She appeared to be continuing her explanation, but Sasuke beat her in this.

"Are you trying to convince me that _you_, the most idiot of all Konoha 12, succeed in creating a technique like this?"

Kathari's eyebrows shot up, "Seal."

"Hn?" Sasuke wouldn't dignify himself to ask _what _as if he hadn't understood – which he hadn't.

"I created a _seal_, not a technique. I'm a Fuuinjutsu master, I can do these things, you know. Anyway, I came back to this year, because it was when everything started to go wrong."

"What does reading stories have to do with that?" Shikamaru asked, before murmuring to himself at the end, "It's becoming troublesome."

"Well, how do you expect to understand more about Konoha's history? We won't just about the future, but also about the past. I didn't write the stories, before you ask, they're part of the Time Seal, that is how denominated it. Is there any questions?"

"Yes, I have one," Kiba said in a sulky tone. "When did you get so smart?"

Katha was red from anger, needing to be held by Tenten and Sakura. Kathari softly smiled.

"Kiba, you're definitely the same in the future," she offered as answer. "Now, I'll prepare everything, just a minute…"

While each small group whispered between themselves all they had heard until now, Itachi was the only one to remain alone, while he observed Kathari moving with grace around the room. She stopped in front of a huge draw on the ground, before looking around in search of something; her eyes stopped in an unoccupied Uchiha.

"Could you do the courtesy of helping me here, please, Itachi?" Kathari asked.

Kathari listened to Kiba saying something like "And since when she became so calm and well-mannered?", while Itachi walked in her directions with calculated steps.

"Yes, Namikaze-san?"

The young woman grimaced.

"First: don't call me that, it's weird. You can address me as Kathi, as my friends do, or Kathari, if you're not comfortable enough," seeing Itachi nodding, she continued. "I need your help to carry all the scrolls and books to the carpet in the middle."

Kathari bite her thumb until blood appeared. She made fast hand signs, attracting attention from the others.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kurama no Fuuin!"_

She hit her hand on the floor that became full of drawing with _kanjis, _waves and curves. Smoke exploded and when it bleached, everybody saw a dark-orange fox with the same size of a small dog. Its eyes were red, although it carried certain happiness.

"How can you summon foxes? Not long ago Katha summoned a toad to fight… _Him_," Sakura cried, exasperate, before murmuring the last part, fearfully looking at Gaara.

"_Him_," Kathari quoted, "has feelings too, Sakura. His name is Gaara and I'm sure he'd like to be address as such."

Said person didn't react even when his siblings observed him.

"Anyway, I don't summon foxes, but toads, as you said. Kurama is an exception."

The adults understood soon enough and goggled her, observing the calm fox sat on the floor. The teens, however, just became more confused.

"But don't mind Kurama, she won't bother."

Kathari made a gesture that clearly stated "never mind" and went back to work in the inscriptions on the ground, full of _kanjis _and incomprehensible symbols to most people in the room. After some minutes of silence, the young woman clapped her hands, satisfied.

"Yes, it'll work," she murmured to herself, before gathering chakra to the palms of her hands.

_Chakra _supposedly isn't visible when circulating inside the body, but Kathari had concentrated so much in the same place that it was impossible to not notice. She separated her five fingers of the right hands and gently traced them for each curve of the seal. At the end – after completing a wavy whirlpool -, her chakra faded and she spread her smooth hands on the floor.

_"Fuuinjutsu: Jikuu Uzu! _(Sealing Technique: Time Vortex!)"

The seal intensely shone for seconds and when it disappeared just a pile of books remained, not even a mark of ink appearing. Kathari was right: there were so many scrolls, pages and books all over the place that she needed Itachi's help to move them to the center of the room.

The Uchiha found himself pensive, 'cause until now Sasuke hadn't spoken a word with him and – if his brother was like before – he was extremely impulsive.

"What t-type of s-story we will r-read?" Hinata quietly asked, trying to not trip over her own words. Itachi snapped out of his daydream; however his face didn't demonstrate anything.

Kathari answered with a tint of tenderness in her voice, "There aren't specifics. I found them in the shelves of my office two years ago, with a note saying: 'The shiny future arises from a somber past', and, since then, I've been trying to come back. I read the books, of course, and I'm sure you'll like as much as I did."

Iruka, who silently waited, stared at his ex-student with incredulity: she _never _read. Actually, Katha was loud, spontaneous, impulsive, hated tests and fought with anyone who looked wrong at her. Kathari, however, was calm and docile, with a soft appearance and intelligent. The Chuunin asked himself what happened at the future.

Itachi sat back alone at the sofa after helping her. Kathari accommodated herself on the shag carpet with the books and some cushions; Kurama walked by her side, sitting with a serenity uncharacteristic of normal animals. The young Rokudaime cleared her throat and took the first book from the pile – a simple one, blue and without ornaments, except for the gold _kanjis_.

"It's called **_A Hero's Birth_**."

**'Humans, for some strange reason that I cannot explain, always were weird and incomprehensible living beings. I do not expect or hope for you to understand all the events of this day, or, maybe, these years. I ask, however, that you do not pity me or fell any remorse. It was, even with the end, a very happy story – and thus I consider it.'**

"I didn't understand," Kiba said as soon as Kathari stopped.

"Even _I_ understood, Dog Breath!" Kathar skeptically exclaimed, stopping to think about what she said after a second.

Kathari sighed, "This book, I suppose I should say, is about an important man in the history of Konohagakure no Sato. His is Namikaze Minato."

Ino widened her eyes, "But if you were an Uzumaki, and now is a Namikaze…" Kathari was ready to answer, but the other blonde continued, "That means that you married an old man. _Ew!"_

Kathari mentally face palmed.

"Namikaze Minato is my Dad, Ino."

"Ah…"

"I don't use his surname now because I didn't know until I was sixteen and, even then, I just started using it officially when I was seventeen. Never minding that, can I go back to the story?"

"Sorry," both Kiba and Ino mumbled, making some chuckle.

**Chapter 1**

**I was, as always, observing the window and the beautiful day outside. There wasn't much to do inside of this boring classroom, listening to annoying explanations and reading arid texts. If I **_**had **_**to stay in school, it could at least be outside, with practical lessons…**

"I already like this dude."

"_Kiba, do you ever shut up?"_

"Sorry…"

… **but, nooo. I need to do the same every day: sit and listen to the sensei. I wanted to be a ninja! I wanted to be recognized by my abilities.**

Kakashi smirked, but nobody say. As soon as he heard the name Namikaze Minato, he knew he would be listening about his former sensei, and that couldn't be better.

However, if he was honest with himself, the Jounin never thought that Minato-sensei could have had so many frivolous thoughts. He means, Kakashi _knew _that his sensei was once a kid, but it was weird to think of him as that: at the Academy for shinobis and kunoichis.

**Yoshi-sensei sometimes calls me at the end of the class**

"Must really be your father, Katha, Iruka-sensei called you too, ne?"

"Kiba," Katha's left eyebrow was twitching, "I promise, I _promise_, that I will beat you to death if you don't _shut the fuck up!"_

"Maa, maa, what a bad mouth, Katha…" Kakashi commented, while eye-smiling.

**to ask me about the reason for me looking so much at window. And every time is the same thing: I need to listen about how difficult the ninja's life is, and dangerous, and complicated, and that I shouldn't hurry to have it.**

"Then his sensei was a wise man," Kurenai calmly stated.

"S-sensei, you s-spoke with a b-book," Hinata stuttered. The girl cried "Eep!" when everybody laughed and her sensei blushed. "S-sorry."

"You're right, Hinata-chan. I was really speaking," Kurenai agreed, knowing that her student's self-esteem was already low enough.

Asuma dragged on his cigarette and observed Kathari continue.

**I, as always, didn't pay attention.**

"Definitely like Uzumaki-san," Shino commented in a low voice to Kiba. The Inuzuka chuckled, but nobody noticed, already becoming used to the interruptions.

**I mean, it's not that I don't care about what Yoshi-sensei says; it's just that I have **_**priorities. **_**Listening to him isn't one of them.**

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up, analyzing Jiraya. The man laughed silently alone of the thoughts of his former apprentice. Well, the Slug Sannin was surprised, since she always imagined the Yondaime Hokage as someone serious and calm.

**'Minato,' Inoichi called by my side.**

"Wait," Ino said, "Inoichi? Like Yamanaka Inoichi?"

"Yes, Ino. Our parents were friends, didn't you know that?" Kathari questioned.

The pale blonde shook her head no.

"No, my Dad never talked about a Namikaze Minato, at least, not with me. I imagine why…"

**'Hmm?' I replied without really paying attention.**

**I looked at the front to discover that everybody was looking at me. Sensei appeared to be waiting for something, so I made what anyone would do in my situation: asked "what" in a lost way.**

"My God, how absentminded he was as a kid!" Kurenai exclaimed. The adults laughed, but the teens just stayed confused.

**'I asked, Minato, what is your dream for the future,' Sensei cleared.**

**I smiled mentally, knowing that we had made the same exercise a million times.**

"I imagine what his dream is," Lee pondered out loud. "YOSH! I bet that it's full of flames of youth!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Both were prepared to run to each other, but Kakashi held the back of Gai's green spandex, murmuring a quiet, "As if I would let this freak Genjutsu of yours happen."

Tenten was hitting herself in the forehead and Neji was balancing his head in an obvious _what did I do to deserve this._

**More than willing, I stood up and I put my right hand over my heart, proclaiming for anyone who wanted to know,**

"I want to be rich!"

"I want to marry…!"

"I want to go to an all-you-can-eat restaurant!"

Kathari laughed at the shouts from Kankurou, Sakura and Chouji.

**'I want to be the best Hokage of all times!'**

All three that tried to guess appeared to fall anime-style. Sasuke smirked.

"Knowing the dobe, we should have guessed that even her father would say such a stupidity."

"Hey, Sasuke-teme! I bet my Dad was a very powerful man, okay!"

"As if, usuratonkachi."

"_Teme!"_

Kathari wanted to cry seeing the interaction between both, but saw that Itachi observed her reactions meticulously, and decided that it was better not. Not now.

While she was having this conflict inside herself, the adults were chuckling mentally. Listening to them talking about the Yondaime as if he was some normal kid was hilarious – they couldn't wait to see the teens' face when they discovered _exactly _who Namikaze Minato was.

**Nobody commented anything and I sat down, discouraged.**

**'Man,' I said to Hiashi,**

Hinata looked up. Her Father was friend with Minato, her idol's father?

**who sat at my other side on the table, 'I wish that people here demonstrated some reaction when I say my dream.'**

**'Why?' he asked, and Inoichi sitting by my right side looked genuinely curious.**

**'Well… I want to be Hokage, but will it be worth if nobody will like me or think of me as a weak.'**

"If he's anything like Katha…" Kiba let his phrase in the air.

"DOG BREATH!"

Kakashi hurried and hold Katha by the scruff of her shirt, if not, the small blonde would kick the Inuzuka so much that he'd be purple by the end of the day.

**Inoichi made a disregard gesture with his hand. 'You're the best student in our class, Minato. ****As if somebody would think that.'**

"_What?" _Nobody in the Konoha 12 could hold it back, not even Sasuke, Shino or Katha.

The adults laughed at this, knowing who Namikaze would be in the future, but the teens were still in estate of shock. Kathari smile, seeing the reaction of her past-self, knowing perfectly that it was difficult to even believe that her Dad could be the best in something – that _someone _in her family was destined to success. Nobody knew, but Kathari had a really low self-esteem when a kid.

Kurama cuddled closer to her and Kathari took advantage of the comfort.

**Hiashi didn't speak, just stayed with the same neutral mask that all Hyuuga had, but nodded in agreement. Their speeches left me lighter someway and I went back to observing the window.**

**Yeah, I think I can't pay attention anyway.**

Kathari sighed deeply, "This was the end of the first chapter."

"It was short," Asuma noted.

"Some were shorter than others. They aren't really long," the young blonde shrugged.

Tsunade saw that the young woman was turning the page to start another chapter, so she spoke quickly, "Before we continue, can't you tell us about the future?"

Her answer left everyone looking curiously at the blonde, who shifted her position uncomfortably.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?" Jiraya asked suspiciously. "You want to change the future, after all, don't you?"

"Yes, but…" Kathari gesticulated with her hands in an apologize sign, thinking of what to say. Sakura, however, interrupted her.

"Is this a wedding ring?"

Kathari lost her train of thoughts for a second, "Ahn?"

"This in your ring finger," Sakura asked as if she was speaking with a three-year-old child, even though intimidated by Kathari's presence, "is a wedding ring?"

"Yes, I'm married," the Rokudaime said, arching an eyebrow elegantly. Katha eyed with curiosity the beautiful gold ring with blue little diamonds.

"Who would marry you?" Kiba asked in a half rude, half incredulous manner. Katha snorted, already becoming used to the questions of the Inuzuka.

Jiraya felt a strange feeling of over-protection with the question. Kathari blushed lightly.

"That's none of your business," she managed to say, losing her calm and looking like her past-self a little. It was _really _difficult to imagine Katha so powerful in the future, without shouting at the roofs that she'd be Hokage and with her cheeks clearly showing her six whiskers.

"Ah, tell us!" Ino insisted, with Sakura nodding along.

"I don't think that's important now," the Rokudaime blushed more, turning the page for the next chapter. "Who wants to read?"

"I'll," Temari offered calmly. The book was rather interesting and even Gaara appeared to be interessed.

She read the chapter's title and started to read.

* * *

**Author's Note: **First thing first, NO, I did NOT abandoned _Tag, you're it_ or _If You Blink, You'll Miss _for those who read. My problem is that I imagine and create my stories quicker than I write. Sad, but true.

Second: I don't when I'll post again – but will be this month -, because this story is a little more complex than my other ones, since I'm not just writing the _plot_, but the story they're reading.

Third: I really need you to _**REVIEW**_, people, because I really really really really need to know if I'm not becoming crazy and doing a good story, okay?

And, lastly, for your benefit…

_**People in the room:**_

**- Namikaze Kathari **('Kathari' came from Greek and means _purity _if someone's wondering. It look liked Japanese for me, so I left as that)

- **Team Seven** – Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Katha and Hatake Kakashi

- **Team Eight –** Hyuuga Hinata, Yuuhi Kurenai, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino

- **Team Gai – **Rock Lee, Maito Gai, Hyuuga Neji and Tenten

- **Team Ten – **Sarutobi Asuma, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino

- **Jiraya, the Toad Sannin **(Does someone even know his surname?)

- **Senju Tsunade, the Slug Sannin**

**- Katou Shizune and tonton**

**- Uchiha Itachi**

**- Umino Iruka**

- **Sand Siblings – **Sabaku no Gaara, Sabaku no Kankurou and Sabaku no Temari.

_**And some answers:**_

**Why Kathari's name is Katha in the past?** Well, not just to facilitate when referring to the characters, but also because of a future event that makes Kathari change her name. You'll see.

**The story you'll read is just about Minato? Why the hell Minato?** First of all: NO! If they're _Storytellers_, they read a lot of stories and arcs in the point of view of a lot of characters. Mina was the first one because I wanted, ha ha.

**There is a lot of characters and some of them don't even talk much. **Obviously not, it's not from their personality. Ino, Sakura, Kiba and such talk more because I can imagine them being the talkative ones. I mean, can you imagine Itachi commenting about what would be Minato's dream? Pfff.

_These were some answer for some doubts that you may have in the future. Don't forget: REVIEW! Any doubt will be answered in the next chapter._

Amaryllis Namikaze


	3. Minato Arc: Tomato

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, I'd be richer. **

"bla bla" - normal talking

_'bla bla' - _thoughts

**bla bla - **book reading

**'bla bla' - **book talking

* * *

**Storytellers – Minato Arc:**

**Tomato**

* * *

_Unknown place, indefinite time_

* * *

Temari started.

**Chapter 2**

**Her name was Uzumaki Kushina.**

Kakashi and Jiraya exchanged glances.

"Uzumaki Kushina? As in _Uzumaki _Katha?" Tenten asked full of curiosity. Katha showed herself equally curious.

Kathari smiled softly, "Yes, as in Uzumaki Katha.

Said person widened her eyes and started to pay total attention in Temari.

**She had long red hair, dark-violet eyes, face slightly round and spoke really loud.**

"So, she's nothing like Katha," Shizune decided, observing the short spiky blond hair of the small girl and the long smooth one of the Rokudaime.

"Except at the loud part," Kiba gave a small chuckle that sounded like a bark, and Akamaru barked in what appeared to be in agreement.

Katha had a black cloud over her head; Kathari, a sweat drop.

**She looked nervous while sensei explained that she came from Uzushiokagure**

"Ah, that's why we never heard about an Uzumaki clan here," Sakura deduced. "I just thought that you were from a civilian family."

Kathari directed her kind smile to the pink-haired Genin.

"The Uzumaki's were exterminated in the Second Shinobi World War. They lived in an island called Land of Whirlpools, in the village of Uzushiokagure, and had an alliance very strong with Konoha through Uzumaki Mito, wife of the Shodaime Hokage."

Everybody that didn't know this fact showed interest in the story.

"When Uzushiokagure was destroyed, lots of Uzumaki's run away, and my Mom, Kushina, was brought to Konoha."

Finishing her explanation, the Rokudaime indicated to Temari continue.

**and I couldn't blame her. I mean, she was in a totally new village.**

"Your father was so _kawaii _as a kid, Katha!" Ino and Sakura exclaimed together. Katha's right eyebrow shot up… _Fan girls._

The adults almost choked with laughter. _Heaven_, if both knew that they were talking about the Fourth Hokage – one of the most feared shinobi in the world when alive – like he was a plush…

**But I think that people didn't notice this, because when she introduced herself, shouting as loud as you can imagine,**

"Ka-tha," Kiba practically sang the syllables. Again, Katha was refrained from strangling him to death by Tenten.

**and announced that she would be the first female Hokage one day, sneers and laughs traveled across the classroom.**

"Kami-sama, is there anything that someone from your family think beyond that?" Neji sighed, exasperated.

"YOSH! I think that the Flames of Youth burn brightly in them!"

"THAT'S RIGHT, MY STUDENT OF HARD WORK!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LE...-"

"_Can you both stop shouting, you weirdoes?" _

**I looked around without moving my head,**

"How does someone do that, dude?" Kiba asked.

"Not being stupid as you," Katha murmured, crossing her arms. Tenten and Hinata, who had heard, giggled behind their hands.

**and decided to stand up. I smiled friendly enough to the new girl and said, **

"I love you!"

"Marry me!"

Everybody sweat dropped. Even Itachi – okay, maybe only mentally.

Kathari coughed, "I doubt that's what he said, girls, sorry," she looked at Sakura and Ino, who pouted in sadness.

**"My dream is to every villager acknowledge me, so I can be a great Hokage."**

"Hn," Sasuke made. Only three people in the room understood. Itachi, Kathari and…

_"What do you mean by that, teme_? My Dad was great, alright!" And Katha. She was just more vocal than the others.

**Kushina crossed her arms and looked away, which made me frown slightly. I sat back to my chair and observed while she walked to the back and sat alone in a desk. What was her problem?**

"Poor Minato, so innocent back then…" Jiraya mourned. Tsunade snorted, murmuring a 'Yeah, right', before spacing off and wishing she had sake.

Shikamaru decided that it was a good hour for a nap.

**During the interval, Mako, Jin, Hikaru and Sho circulated her.**

**'What an ugly red hair.'**

**'Yeah, what type of ninja has **_**it**_**?'**

Katha looked down. It looks like her mother's life was as _great _as hers. How depressing.

**I stopped talking with Inoichi to listen to more.**

_'As curious as Katha', _Iruka rolled his eyes, amused.

**'And you have this round face. Hey! I'll call ya tomato!'**

**'Tomato! Tomato! Tomato!' They chanted together, pointing their fingers at her. **

"So your father heroically saved your mother and they fell in love, right?" Ino had stars in her eyes. Most of people in the room sighed.

Kathari refrained from giggling – a silly action.

"Oh, no. Mom was more than capable of handling herself," Kathari told with a smile. Jiraya and Kakashi shuddered.

**Kushina looked small near them – always the class's troublemakers. Her face was red, although it was difficult to tell if it was from shame or anger. So, she made the most unexpected thing in the world.**

"Definitely like Katha/me," all team 7 decided out loud, even Sasuke. Everyone laugh – sans Gaara and Itachi. They don't laugh in public.

Or so everybody thought.

**Threw Sho on the ground and, sitting atop of his back, started to punch the back of his head.**

Jaws went down.

"She's a little…" Chouji started, but couldn't finish.

"Violent, yes," Kathari agreed. Ah, it was so funny to see their reactions.

**'You… don't… have… the right… to… call me… tomato!' Each break was completed with a punch and a groan of pain from Sho. Jin, Mako and Hikaru quickly dispersed.**

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru yawned, closing his eyes again and faking sleep, because the story was too damn interesting.

**Then, she turned her challenger eyes to me, as if asking "What?" in a annoyed way. I widened my eyes and got back to my conversation with Inoichi, who also looked a little bit scared. **

"Man, Katha's mother is freaking scaring," Kiba commented to Shino. Said Genin didn't reacted, just merely nodded his head.

**I tried to look again with turning my head, and decided right and then that Uzumaki Kushina scared me a little.**

"That was it," Temari turned the page and saw 'Chapter 3' written. "Who'll read?"

"I'll," Shizune offered and the sand-haired kunoichi passed the book to the brunette.

Tenten's hand shot up in the air, "Just one question, er, Namikaze-san…"

Kathari smiled, "You can call me Kathari, Tenten, we're friends."

"Er, right. Kathari, at the beginning of the chapter you said that your mother was brought to Konoha and…"

"And you want to know why?"

"Well, yeah."

Kathari smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, but I can't tell. It'd ruin the story, but you'll know later on, anyway.

"Oh, okay."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, thinking. What could Uzumaki Kushina have to be special enough to be brought to Konoha? It couldn't be simply because she was Mito's and Hashirama's granddaughter. The Akatsuki member observed Kathari and Kyuubi.

Both were relaxed, appearing happy. Kathari was smiling and Kyuubi was sleepily cuddled next to her. But, somehow, the picture was wrong. Was Kathari as happy as she let on? And why was Kyuubi there and not in her – his, its – cage? Something happened in the past, something happened in the future. But what?

He snapped out of his thoughts when Shizune-san started reading, but didn't miss the fact that when Kathari sighed, she looked more mature and tired than normal.

Like there was some burden trusted upon her delicate shoulders.


	4. Minato Arc: Bloody Loneliness

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"bla bla" - normal talking

_'bla bla' -_thoughts

**bla bla -**book reading

**'bla bla' -**book talking

* * *

**Storytellers – Minato Arc:**

**Bloody Loneliness**

* * *

_Unknown place, indefinite time_

* * *

Shizune started.

**Chapter 3**

**It happened when I was five.**

"What happened?"

"Kiba_, don't even start_," Sakura threatened with her fist closed, the "Or else" clearly floating in the end of the phrase.

Said boy gulped and shut up.

**Back then I was only an innocent, if not ignorant, little child.**

"All kids are," Tsunade murmured quietly to herself, in a bitter voice. She ignored Jiraya's worried glance at her voice.

**I had gone to the park to play with Inoichi and Chouza as we had combined, but, when I came back home…**

"What, what, what?"

"_Kiba…"_

"Sorry, Sakura," came the weak response.

**Home was silent. It was too early for my parents being asleep, however, all lights insides were turned off. I found it weird.**

Sasuke looked down, glaring at the floor. It was exactly like that when he came back to the Uchiha compound on _that _day. He glanced up, at his _brother_.

Itachi was calmly sitting on a sofa, alone. He appeared to be listening to Shizune and the story, but his eyes didn't stop traveling over Kathari and the fox, Kurama.

A sudden rage surged inside him. He wouldn't _let _Itachi touch his Kathari – his team! And then confusion. This wasn't like him. He sighed, wishing that he could get up and demand a fight with his brother, but, for some reason, he couldn't.

Sasuke observed the future Rokudaime – was it her fault?

**When I entered, however, nobody was in the hall. My Kaa-san, Suzuki, wasn't in the kitchen humming random songs as she always was. My Dad, Toshiro, wasn't reading a scroll, nor watching TV.**

"So they were sleeping, big deal."

"THAT'S IT, KIBA, I'LL…-"

Sakura – fortunately for Kiba – was gently interrupted by Kathari, who said in a calm, controlled voice, "There's no need for this, Sakura. Kiba will keep silent, won't you, Kiba?"

Said boy was ready to yell at her and tell that a dead-last like her couldn't give him orders, but then he saw the look of the future Hokage. Her usually big ocean-blue eyes were narrowed, making her look like a predator after her food.

He gulped and nodded.

The adults exchanged glances – it was the very same glare that the Yondaime would give to his enemy. The _very _same.

**The lights were turned off. Yet, I could see blood splashed everywhere, like a morbid picture made by an insane painter. **

Looks of horrors were present on the young kunoichis' faces.

**The worst was – I concluded after analyzing the scene – the source of the paint was my parents' bodies.**

Ino screamed and Kurenai patted her head comfortingly.

"It's okay, Ino, there's no need to shout."

No one dared roll their eyes at the screaming girl, because, really, Minato made it look like a thriller.

**I observed a little more with coolness that I had yet to have. At the moment, it didn't pass in my mind that the murderer could still be in the house, that I could die right there, right then. I just stood silently in the middle of the hallway, seeing the blood painting. **

Hinata was feeling a little sick. Tenten, who was sitting by her side, noticed and put a hand on her shoulder kindly, as if saying 'I'm feeling it too'.

**And I finally met black.**

Katha was trying hard not to cry – this unknown couple was, after all, her paternal grandparents, and she just heard about their deaths. She felt someone lick her hand and looked down to see Kurama, who tilted her head to the side, her eyes more intelligent and aware than it should.

Katha patted her head and Kurama yipped in glee.

**This was all I could think as sensei explained about the usage of kunai and shuriken in middle of a taijutsu engaged battle. I already knew all this, so, the burbling sick sensation on my stomach gave me plenty time to feel nasty.**

Shino adjusted his sunglasses – it keeps failing down his nose.

**I could remember the smell of recent death, the blood stained on the walls, the sickening twisted bodies. Someone had brutally murdered them – and I had calmly entered the house and saw their corpses. Sometimes – really few times -, I wondered about my future life as a shinobi.**

_'Which would be incredible,' _Kakashi thought to himself, thinking about all the accomplishments that his sensei had brilliantly managed to achieve.

He was a genius among genius, after all.

**Why did I want to be one? Would I be good? Until the day my parents died, I hadn't given much thought to it. I wanted to be a strong ninja, as my Dad was. However, when they died, I realized how weak **_**I **_**was.**

Sasuke fight to keep his straight face. This Minato kid – Katha and Kathari's father – had thoughts really similar to him. Yet, years later as it was show on the previous chapters, he was completely normal, happy even. How could he be so calm? It was his family – he was alone with nothing but the memories of his dead parents.

He should be angry with the ninja that killed his family. He should get revenge… yet, he sat everyday at the school as if nothing had happened.

_'Itachi,'_ he whispered in his mind, with great hatred and anger.

**So I trained. And trained. And trained. Even so, always was never enough. I needed to train, I needed to train, I needed to train – I became obsessive with these thoughts in the first two years.**

**Then, I noticed how… **_**stupid **_**I was being. I didn't know who my parent's murderer was. I wasn't even a Genin to get out of the village. I had stopped meeting with my friends. I was becoming reclusive.**

Katha glared at the wall. She was lonely too, but it wasn't her option as it was her father's…

**Little by little, I reverted to my past-self. Knowing that, someday, I'd need to face the fact that in a fight I'd see blood, I'd kill people, I'd be emotionless.**

**Knowing that, someday, I'd look right in the eyes of someone, coldly, calmly, exactly as I had looked at the blood painting in my home. I'd feel dirty, I'd feel horrible – I'd feel like a monster.**

There would be a somber silence in the room, if not for Shizune's soft spoken words. Everybody was feeling a little sick, since Minato's way of writing was completely overwhelming.

**Trying to not pay attention to Yoshi-sensei's class, I looked around. Inoichi looked interested – which didn't surprised me, since he wanted to go to the T&I Department in the future -, Shikaku was unsurprisingly sleeping, Chouza was eating as discreetly as he could. Apparently, of all my close friends, only Hiashi was paying attention – as any good Hyuuga would. Well, Hizashi and Uchiha Fugaku**

Sasuke's head shot up at the name of his father. He was friends with the dobe's father?

**were too, but we were only classmates. My eyes ended on Kushina, who looked a little green. Weird. Why would she be like this?**

Katha patted Kurama again, already having deduced why her mother was feeling sick.

**Then I understood. As I had seen blood and my parent's corpses when a child, Kushina had come from her **_**massacred **_**country – **_**of course**_** she was feeling a little sick.**

**In the interval, I planned to talk to her, but Mako and Hikaru beat me to it when they started taunting her again, calling "Tomato, tomato" repeatedly.**

Katha closed her hands in tights fists.

**Remembering her pale, sad face during class, I thought that she would cry or something like that**

Jiraya, Tsunade and Kakashi almost laughed at this one, but all room was somber, so, they contained themselves. _Ha_, as if Uzumaki Kushina was a weak crybaby girl!

**But she just put a scowl on her face and started to kick both stupid's asses. Her bright smile came next, with a big shout of "I'm going to be the first female Hokage, temes!", but the whole class sneered.**

**I just stood there, looking the obvious and painful mask that Uzumaki Kushina wore. Feeling the same loneliness that I did years ago.**

Shizune announced that it was the end of the chapter and passed the book to Iruka, since she offered to read.

Nobody talked, nobody commented. Not because of the somber feeling in this chapter. Not because there were sickeningly descriptions. But because Kushina's painful mask sounded incredibly familiar to Katha – even though nobody wanted to acknowledge it.

So, they keep in silence until Iruka started reading.


	5. Minato Arc: The oh-so-great Jiraya

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"bla bla" - normal talking

_'bla bla' -_thoughts

**bla bla -**book reading

**"bla bla" -**book talking

* * *

**Storytellers – Minato Arc:**

**The oh-so-great Jiraya**

* * *

_Unknown place, indefinite time_

* * *

Iruka looked around a moment before starting. Everybody in the room was sitting stiff, as if waiting for something bad to happen. Well, the last chapter had been pretty bad…

**Chapter 4**

**The funny thing about perverts is that you can always find them in the same place.**

"What does this have to do with the story?" Kiba – who more? – asked in a confused voice.

Then, Katha finally snapped, "That's it! Dob Breath, you're always interrupting, just stay quiet, for God's love!"

"Yeah, what a dead last like you can do about, huh?"

"Kiba," Kurenai-sensei warned, but the doggy boy didn't back down, nor did Katha.

"Why, you…!"

"Bring it on, dead last!"

Katha was ready to attack and Kiba was ready to defend, when Kathari's imperative voice stopped both, "Please, no more interruptions. Kiba, kindly sit down and be quiet. Katha, control your temper."

To say that all adults were impressed would be understatement. Kathari – _future Katha – _had just calmly handed a fight situation. They really needed to know what happened in the future.

**The first time I met him, he was sitting on a **_**huge, **_**neon orange frog**

Jiraya wanted to shout _toad_, but that would just ruin the story.

**and looking through a hole in the wall.**

"What. Is. That?" Tsunade asked, punctuating each word with a punch in the Gama Sannin's head.

"Sorry, hime!"

The rest of the people could only try not to laugh.

**That's how I met the **_**great **_**Toad Sannin, Jiraya.**

"He is a pervert?" Kurenai asked horrified.

Jiraya made an upset face, "I'm not a pervert."

Katha murmured something that nobody heard as Kurenai made a relieved face. She couldn't just believe that a hero like him would be a pervert.

"I'm a big one!" Jiraya chuckled goofily. Katha can only groan with Tsunade while the others stare at the man in disbelief.

**Yeah, not really impressive, one would say.**

"You think? I met him the same pathetic way," Katha told everyone.

"What it, gaki!" Jiraya complained, huffing.

**But, anyway, pervert or not, the man was powerful - too bad that nine-year-old me didn't not that back then and just labeled him as a pervert man.**

"I'm not old!"

"I'm sure you weren't at the moment, Ero-sennin," Katha tries to comfort the Sannin only to make it worse. People are _really _trying not to laugh.

**Well, I made the most logical thing at the moment: I shouted, "Pervert!" and women cries emerged from the other side of the wall.**

"Ha, good one, brat, good one," Tsunade praised the, hmm, book. Nobody tells her that, though.

**A sadistic side of me thought that it was fun seeing a pervert being beat to a pulp by half naked women. Not that I **_**was **_**looking at women.**

Kakashi snorted to himself. His sensei was such a weird kid.

**"Gaki, why the hell did you shout that?" The old man asks me right after the mob stopped beating him senseless.**

**I shrug.**

Chouji munched some snack potatoes before speaking, "Your father appeared to be a nice guy, Katha… and Kathari," he added after a second thought.

"Yosh, he's the best!" Katha shouted fiercely. Kathari only nods in agreement.

**"You were there, looking at naked women and I thought 'Why not?', so, I yelled it."**

**Yeah, the oh-so-great Sannin didn't appreciate my response. Maybe he didn't have a sense of humor.**

"I have a…-"

But Jiraya couldn't finish his _war cry_, because Tsunade hit him in the head again.

**"You're a strange bloke, did you know that?" He said, slowly standing up.**

**"Not the first to say, not the last to comment," is my only answer.**

**"Anyway, kid, I'm not your common pervert," the old coot said, as he started doing some freak dance.**

"Freak dance? Old coot? That's it**, **why did I accept teaching Minato?"

"Because you're an old coot, duh," Katha commented, as if it should be obvious. Kiba looked like he wanted to say something, but then he eyed at Kathari and gave up.

**"From west to east, from north to south, ladies cheer my name, guys envy my power, for that I'm the Toad Sage, Jiraya of the Legendary Sannin!"**

Blink. Stare. Blink. Stare.

"What's with the faces?" Jiraya asked annoyed.

**I could only observe as the freak dance ended. And he says that **_**I'm **_**the strange guy – ha, as if!**

**"Well, I'm Namikaze Minato," I say after awhile, not sure if I had to do the same stupid dance he did or if I should proclaim myself a person to get on his good side.**

**"Namikaze, eh? I heard a bit about you."**

"Well, Minato was a good-looking child, well-mannered and a genius. He was pretty much liked around Konoha."

Katha glanced down at her mentor's comment. So, if her father was so loved, why was she so hated? People probably didn't even know she was human and had parents, let alone know who her father was. She stared gloomily at the floor.

"Are you sure we are still talking about Katha's dad?" Kiba questioned, unable to be quiet for a long period of time.

**"Same for me. Well, not about the pervert part, but… Yeah," I commented awkwardly.**

**"I'm not a pervert!" The old man – Jiraya – boomed.**

**"Oh, no?" I asked a little skeptically.**

**"I'm a big one!"**

Katha could be seen slapping her forehead once again.

**"Okay, if you say so."**

**"You are on the quiet, calm side, aren't you?"**

**"Well, my friends **_**do **_**say that I'm a calm person," I agreed, while shrugging.**

**His eyebrows shot up, "They're right. Anyway, gaki, see you another time!" And, just like that, the **_**great **_**Sannin poof away with his neon orange frog – or was it toad? Maybe I should ask the next time. **

"Toad," Jiraya growled under his breath.

**Oh, well, I was too distracted by his weirdness. **

"_My _weirdness? You're the…-"

Jiraya never finished, because, once again, Tsunade hit him in the back of his head. He pouted while crossing his arms. The future Godaime only snorts at his attitude. _Really mature._

"Well, that was it," Iruka commented, closing the book.


	6. Minato Arc: Genin Team

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._**

"bla bla" - normal talking

_'bla bla' -_thoughts

**bla bla -**book reading

**"bla bla" -**book talking

* * *

**Storytellers – Minato Arc:**

**Genin Team**

* * *

_Unknown place, indefinite time_

* * *

"Who wants to read?" Iruka asked, indicating the book in his hand.

"I'll," Tsunade offered. When she had fallen on the floor of the room, she hadn't expected something like this: reading a book about the past and the future. However, as the chapters went, she found herself entertained by Jiraya's brat student's thoughts.

Iruka gave her the blue book.

**Chapter 5, **she read. Tsunade rolled her eyes across the room and after seeing everyone paying attention, she continued.

**Nobody told us,**

"What?"

"Ki-ba!" _Almost _everyone spelled. Said boy shrugged.

"What? I can't be the only curious one."

Tenten face-palmed – she obviously hadn't imagined the others, or one, Konoha genins so… dumb.

"We have more control than _you_."

Kiba huffed and Tsunade continued.

**yet, we knew. Nobody explained it, yet, we knew. It wasn't **_**official**_**, but, even then, we knew.**

Kiba fidgeted in curiosity. Sasuke rolled his eyes at this.

**There was a huge was coming.**

Silence.

The people in the room were aware of the war, but most of them had never been part of one, much less _read _about the horrors of one.

**This fact was as clear as crystal – since my class graduated at age ten. I was a kid, my friends were kids, my classmates were kids, but none of this stopped the graduation. I was the Rookie of the Year, the teachers told me with a small smile.**

Sasuke and Sakura eyed each other and then Katha. It was _still _hard to be sure about her parentage.

**They told me I should be proud of my achievements, but I couldn't make myself smile.**

The adults comprehended this, but the Genins felt confused.

"Why wouldn't he smile?" Chouji asked, totally lost.

Kakashi's visible eye was somber, "The war… is a terrible thing."

They said nothing more.

**My parents weren't there to say congratulations, and even though my friends did, it wasn't the same. There was a huge war coming and, suddenly, I felt incredibly lonely.**

Katha sighed – some glanced at her.

**It was a strange feeling, but not entirely new. I was used to having my friends around me every day, but with the war how would I be sure if they would be there in the next?**

Kakashi winced, thinking about his whole team.

**Two days later, when Yoshi-sensei told us in which team we were, I found myself even lonelier. My teammates were the last people I wanted to be with: Mokume Sho and Tsuchi Jin.**

Jiraya sighed to himself, thinking about his students. Minato, of course, was incredible: smart, talented, a prodigy. Sho and Jin were another story.

**Sho was a civilian kid that entered the ninja school God knows why. He and his group were always bullying other people and, since Sho was the stupidest and ugliest, he was the leader. He had nothing to brag about, yet, Sho managed.**

Itachi narrowed his eyes, observing Kathari's reactions to these phrases. According to her body language, she obviously had great dislike to people such as Sho, which was no surprise, since the ex-Uchiha could imagine her bullied childhood.

**Jin was the son of a KIA ninja. I'm not sure about his father's name, but I know that he was killed when Jin was really small. Jin is one of Sho's follower, which doesn't help my case.**

**I was already thinking about **_**how **_**this could get sadder when Jiraya, the pervert, entered the classroom.**

People laughed at how Jiraya was nicknamed, but said person huffed in indignation. Kathari discreetly giggled and Kurama yipped at her "master's" laugh.

**My eyebrows shot up when he called Team Seven - my team.**

"You t-taught Katha's D-Dad?" Hinata stuttered, surprise – well, she didn't stutter because of the surprise, but, whatever.

Jiraya nodded, "Fortunately, yes. Minato was a good kid."

**Yoshi-sensei tried to explain that he still was calling the teams, but Jiraya, the pervert, **

Jiraya pouted.

**took, in his words, "none of this rubbish". So, there went Sho, Jin and I.**

"Impatient, are we?" Tsunade teased.

"I was not!" Jiraya childishly whined and the blonde made a face _are you fucking serious?_, so, he sighed, "Ok, maybe."

She raised an eyebrow and Jiraya snorted in exasperation, "Ok, ok. So, I _was _impatient, alright? Jeez."

**I briefly looked at Inoichi, who waved in goodbye – easy for him to do, he was in Team Nine: Akimichi Chouza, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi. **

**I only wish I was this lucky.**

"Hey, I'm a good teacher, he should be _happy_!"

"I'm sure you're, Jiraya-sama," Shizune comforted the Sannin.

**Once again, I eyed my teammates. Their grades weren't the worst thing in the matter – even though they were pretty bad. My problem with them was their bullying with people. I couldn't tolerate bullies, yet, here was I.**

**Sometime, in a class, I learnt that teamwork is essential to the success of a mission not only because there were more chances of defeating the enemy, but also because your teammates would be the ones to protect your back.**

Katha observed Sasuke and Sakura. A few months ago, she would _never _let them be the ones to protect her back, now, on the other hand, she wouldn't choose another people.

Life was such a funny thing.

**But how could I be happy when the ones responsible for protecting my back were **_**them?**_** Jiraya, the pervert, I could trust – with the time. Sho and Jin, on the other hand, was a completely different matter.**

**This could be a problem.**

**There was a huge war coming.**

Tsunade closed the book, "The chapter ends here, but I think we should go sleep," she suggested, seeing some Genins blinking tiredly.

Kathari nodded, "Good idea. Most of you came from a battlefield. There are rooms and bathrooms," she indicated a dozen of doors that none of them had noticed before. "Make yourselves home."

So they did.


End file.
